Abstract: A hologram-recording material, including a photoresponsive molecule, a reactive molecule having an intrinsic birefringence, and a photopolymerization initiator that accelerates polymerization and/or crosslinking of the reactive molecule having an intrinsic birefringence, a content of the photopolymerization initiator being in a range of less than about 0.1 wt % relative to the hologram-recording material, and, a content of the reactive molecule having an intrinsic birefringence being in a range of about 30 to about 80 wt % relative to the hologram-recording material.

Abstract: A hologram recording method, which records signal light onto an optical recording medium as a hologram, includes: placing a signal light region, which generates signal light, and a reference light region, which generates reference light, symmetrically with respect to an optical axis of coherent light by displaying, on a spatial light modulator which spatially modulates the incident coherent light, a pattern which divides a modulating region into a plurality of regions; generating signal light and reference light by modulating the incident coherent light by the spatial light modulator; simultaneously and coaxially illuminating, onto a reflecting-type optical recording medium, the signal light and the reference light generated from the signal light region and the reference light region disposed symmetrically to one another; and recording the signal light on the optical recording medium as a hologram.

Abstract: A hologram recording method comprising recording information of signal light as a reflection-type hologram on an optical recording medium, by illuminating the signal light and reference light on a same axis and from different sides of the optical recording medium is provided. Further, a hologram recording device including: a signal light illuminating section illuminating signal light onto an optical recording medium; and a reference light illuminating section illuminating reference light of a same axis as the signal light, onto the optical recording medium from a different side than the signal light is provided.

Abstract: A hologram recording method includes eliminating a DC component from a Fourier transformation image of a signal light for expressing binary digital data as a brightness image, and irradiating an optical recording medium simultaneously with the signal light from which the DC component has been eliminated and a reference light to record an image edge portion of the signal light onto the optical recording medium as a hologram.

Abstract: A method for producing an optical recording medium, includes: filling a plurality of spaces with a liquid photosensitive material, wherein each of the plurality of spaces is surrounded by a surface of a sheet material and partition walls that are formed on the surface of the sheet material for separating a plurality of recording areas, and the surface of the sheet material has recessed parts at positions where the plurality of recording areas is to be formed, each of the recessed parts protruding and deformed to a back surface side of the sheet material so as to have a volume in relation to a volumetric shrinkage factor of the photosensitive material; and pressing a member having a substantially flat surface to a back surface of the sheet material to make the recessed parts substantially flat and heating and hardening the photosensitive material to form the plurality of recording areas.

Abstract: A hologram recording method for recording information of signal light as holograms in an optical recording medium, which includes illuminating signal light at the optical recording medium; illuminating reference light at the optical recording medium simultaneously with the signal light such that an interference pattern is formed by the signal light and the reference light intersecting in the optical recording medium; and shifting a region in the optical recording medium at which the signal light and the reference light intersect, by shifting an illumination position of the reference light along an optical axis of the signal light, thereby recording a plurality of holograms in the recording medium.

Abstract: A hologram reproduction method for reproducing a hologram from an optical recording medium in which the hologram is recorded by Fourier transforming a signal light, in which digital data is represented by an image of intensity distribution, and a reference light, and simultaneously irradiating the lights in a state in which a direct current component is removed from at least the Fourier transformed signal light onto the optical recording medium is provided. The method including: irradiating a read out reference light onto the optical recording medium, and generating a diffracted light from the recorded hologram; generating all or a part of a direct current component contained in a Fourier transformed image of the signal light; combining the diffracted light and the generated all or a part of the direct current component, and generating a combined beam; and reproducing the signal light by inverse-Fourier transforming the combined beam.

Abstract: In the present invention, a photosensitive layer of an optical recording medium includes a photo-responsive high-molecular compound comprising a photo-responsive group (e.g., an azobenzene derivative) which is geometrically isomerized by light radiation, and a liquid crystal linear mesogen group (e.g., a biphenyl derivative), wherein the photo-responsive group and the linear mesogen group are respectively bonded as side chains. The invention provides an optical recording medium enabling large scale recording by making the photosensitive layer thick without impairing recording characteristics. The photo-responsive high-molecular compound preferably comprises an aromatic ring on a main chain. Further, the photo-responsive high-molecular compound preferably comprises a structural unit which is capable of forming a liquid-crystalline or crystalline polymer and a structural unit which is capable of forming an amorphous polymer.

Abstract: An optical apparatus includes: a focusing lens that focuses light which is one of recording light being irradiated to an optical recording medium with reference light for recording a hologram and reference light being irradiated to an optical recording medium for reading out a hologram; and a focal position-shifting unit that refracts the light while moving in accordance with a moving speed of the optical recording medium, so as to shift a focal position of the light in the optical recording medium a distance in a thickness direction of the optical recording medium.

Abstract: A hologram-recording method including recording a reflection-type volume hologram onto an optical recording medium by irradiating the optical recording medium with a modulated beam obtained by spatially modulating a laser beam and a diffused beam obtained by diffusing the modulated beam, coaxially but from different sides of the optical recording medium, respectively. The invention provides a hologram-recording method, an optical recording medium, and a hologram-recording device that enables on-demand recording of a reflection-type volume hologram which reliably prohibits forgery or alteration with a simple device configuration.

Abstract: An optical device for holographic recording or reading is provided and includes: a light emission unit that emits light to be irradiated on an optical recording medium, the light being recording or reading light; a first prism unit that moves in accordance with a moving speed of the optical recording medium and refracts the light to move the light irradiated on the optical recording medium over a distance in a moving direction of the optical recording medium so that the light is irradiated on substantially the same position on the optical recording medium for a period of time; and a second prism unit that moves in accordance with the moving speed of the first prism unit to compensate for an optical path length of the light.

Abstract: An optical signal recording medium includes at least one signal recoding plane in which an optical signal is to be recorded, and a control information region which is a portion other than the signal recoding plane, and in which a diffraction grating is disposed.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a hologram erasing method, in which a predetermined hologram is erased by irradiating a predetermined region of a hologram recording medium in which the hologram to be erased is recorded with a reference light beam and a signal light beam holding a random data pattern at the same time. In this method, the signal light beam and the reference light beam interfere with each other in the medium, and a Fourier transform hologram recorded in the region where the interference occurs is destroyed and erased by interference light beam. That is, a data page for erasing including a random pattern is overwritten to erase an original data page. According to the present invention, the hologram recorded in the optical recording medium can be selectively and completely erased in a simple method.

Abstract: A hologram recording material contains a molecule having intrinsic birefringence and a photoresponsive macromolecule represented by the following formula (1). in formula (1), L1 representing a bivalent linking group, X representing a group having a substituent constant ? based on Hammett's rule of a value of more than 0, the maximum absorption wavelength of an azobenzene group bonding to X being approximately 360 nm or less, A representing a group that is a component of a repeating unit with a carbon number of 2 or more that is a component of a macromolecular main chain, nx representing an integer of 1 or 2, and n representing an integer of 1 or more.

Abstract: There is provided a hologram recording method, including generating a signal light which is spatially modulated such that digital data is represented by an image of intensity distribution, irradiating the signal light on an optical recording medium after a Fourier transformation of the signal light such that a zero-order component of the signal light comes into focus at a point removed from the optical recording medium, forming a diffraction grating in the optical recording medium by interference between the zero-order component of the signal light and a high-order component thereof, and recording digital data represented by the signal light as a hologram.

Abstract: There is provided a hologram recording medium having: a recording layer at which a hologram can be recorded by illumination of writing light; and a protective layer provided on the recording layer in order to protect the recording layer, a water absorbency of the protective layer being less than or equal to 0.01%.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image formation device including: an image reading section which reads an image from an image formation member, at which image formation member the image is formed and a hologram recording medium is mounted, associated information relating to the image being stored as a hologram in the hologram recording medium; an information acquisition section which acquires the stored associated information from the hologram recording medium; an image processing section which processes the image read by the image reading section in accordance with the associated information acquired by the information acquisition section; and an image formation section which forms an image processed by the image processing section.

Abstract: An optical recording apparatus comprises: a focusing section that focuses to a transmission type recording medium a recording light beam including a signal light beam and a reference light beam which are radiated from a same direction with a common optical axis; and a focused-position moving section that moves with respect to a direction of the optical axis a focused position where the recording light beam is focused to the transmission type recording medium by the focusing section, wherein an interference fringe formed by the recording light beam is recorded in the transmission type recording medium at each position which is moved by the focused-position moving section.

Abstract: A postprocessing apparatus for conducting postprocessing on an image forming member, including a receiving unit for receiving an image forming member having an image formed thereon, and an attaching unit for attaching a hologram recording medium in which a hologram can be written, to the image forming member. The postprocessing apparatus further includes a recording unit for writing related information corresponding to image formed on the image forming member, onto the hologram recording medium.

Abstract: A hologram recording method includes generating a signal beam with data formed by superimposing pattern data, the pattern data representing a pattern in which a large number of plural kinds of pixels having different tone values are arranged in a two-dimensional manner, on an image data of respective pixels represented by tone values corresponding to density, and recording a hologram by irradiating a converted beam formed by Fourier transformation of the generated signal beam with a lens and a reference beam to an optical recording medium.